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Posts Tagged ‘Mexico’

Alejandra Robles – Ma (yo) en Oaxaca

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Music, Parks & Plazas, People, tagged Alejandra Robles, Ma (yo) en Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca, Plaza de la Danza, singers, video, vocalist, women on May 6, 2012| 2 Comments »

As the promotional material for Ma (yo) en Oaxaca, Mujer (es) Arte y Cultura explains (loose translation), like a skilled weaver, women create the fabric of life… part of the history of humanity, intelligence that moves, the look that looks, which is regarded in the construction of better horizons of life for her and those who are around her. And so, from May 3rd through 13th, the women of Oaxaca are being celebrated with workshops, exhibitions, lectures, and concerts.

Last night, under the supermoon, one of the accomplished women of Oaxaca, Alejandra Robles, gave a free concert, just a block away, in the Plaza de la Danza…

Ma (yo) en Oaxaca is a party for all of the principles of inclusion and participation to make possible the knowledge and appreciation of the cultural richness of groups which, for various reasons, have been marginalized.

¡Viva las mujeres!

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Feliz cumpleaños MACO

Posted in Buildings, Celebrations, Culture, Exhibitions, Travel & Tourism, tagged Contemporary Art Museum of Oaxaca, MACO, Mexico, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Oaxaca, numbers, Oaxaca, photographs, photos on May 4, 2012| 2 Comments »

A belated Happy 20th Birthday, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Oaxaca!

As the theme of the birthday celebration on February 28th said, Say ‘Coma’ Twenty Times,

COMA, COMA, CO-MACO, MACO, MACO…

Come say, Feliz Cumpleaños MACO, in person!

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Safer in Mexico or USA???

Posted in Travel & Tourism, tagged Lonely Planet, Mexico, popular travel destinations, Robert Reid, safety, tourism, travel, vacation on May 2, 2012| 2 Comments »

We, who live or spend a significant amount of time here in Oaxaca, can’t say it too many times…

Are Americans safer in Mexico than at home?

Robert Reid Lonely Planet author

Every week or so I get asked, ‘Is it safe to go to Mexico?’ I had always said, if you’re thoughtful about where you go, yes. But after my most recent trip there, I’m changing my answer… to a question:

Do you think it’s safe to go to Texas?

To be clear, violence in Mexico is no joke. There have been over 47,000 drug-related murders alone in the past five years. Its murder rate – 18 per 100,000 according to this United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime report – is more than three times the US rate of 4.8 per 100,000. Though Mexican tourism is starting to bounce back, Americans appear more reluctant to return than Canadians and Brits (5.7 million Americans visited in 2011, down 3% from 2010 – and, according to Expedia, more than four of five bookings were adults going without children). Many who don’t go cite violence as the reason.

What you don’t get from most reports in the US is statistical evidence that Americans are less likely to face violence on average in Mexico than at home, particularly when you zero in on Mexico’s most popular travel destinations. For example, the gateway to Disney World, Orlando, saw 7.5 murders per 100,000 residents in 2010 per the FBI; this is higher than Cancun or Puerto Vallarta, with rates of 1.83 and 5.9 respectively, per a Stanford University report (see data visualization here, summarized on this chart, page 21). Yet in March, the Texas Department of Public Safety advised against ‘spring break’ travel anywhere in Mexico, a country the size of the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy combined. Never mind that popular destinations like the Bahamas, Belize and Jamaica have far higher homicide rates (36, 42 and 52 per 100,000). Why the singular focus?

Before you nix Mexico altogether, consider these five things:

[Read full article HERE]

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May Day in Oaxaca

Posted in Celebrations, Economics, Holidays, Labor, Protests, tagged Confederación de Trabajadores de México, CTM, Día de los Trabajadores, Día Internacional de los Trabajadores, demonstrations, holiday, International Workers' Day, labor, May Day, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, workers on May 1, 2012| 4 Comments »

Like 80+ countries in the world, International Workers’ Day is a national holiday in Mexico. Early this morning in Oaxaca, streets were closed as contingents began gathering and then marching toward the city center. And for hours, they poured into the Zócalo and Alameda for speeches, music, and bottle rockets, all of which will, no doubt, continue for hours more.

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FYI: CTM stand for the Confederación de Trabajadores de México, the largest confederation of Mexican labor unions. Think, AFL-CIO in El Norte (though with some significant differences).

¡Feliz Día Internacional de los Trabajadores!

Update: For a more nuanced view of yesterday’s march, see the report by longtime resident, Nancy Davies.

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Children’s Day

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, tagged children, Children's Day, costumes, Día del Nino, kids, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, traje on April 30, 2012| 2 Comments »

When I was a child and asked, “If there is a Mother’s Day and a Father’s day, why isn’t there a Children’s Day?” My mother’s usual reply was, “Everyday is children’s day!” Hmmm… I never did buy her explanation, until I had kids of my own. However, here in Mexico, there is a day to celebrate children and today is that day — Día del Niño, a day when children are made to feel special.

Schools organize parties with games and treats instead of lessons, parents may give their niños y niñas gifts, and special community activities for kids are organized. Yesterday, here in the city, the Service Workers Union threw an all day party for 5,000 children in the annex of the Eduardo Vasconcelos baseball stadium. There were box lunches, candy (of course), a petty zoo, games, shows, and even a raffle for new bicycles.

So, here’s to the girls and boys of Oaxaca…

To their good humor.

Their pride in celebrating their communities…

Their beauty…

Their amazing patience…

Even when they are shy and tired.

And, especially to the street children, who, despite the challenges of their lives, seem to find ways to “just be kids.”

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Tlacolula, she’s my baby…

Posted in Culture, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged costumes, cotton aprons, Festival de la Nieve Mezcal y Vinagre, graffiti, market, mercado, Mexico, Oaxaca, The Pop-up Food Shops of Oaxaca, tianguis, Tlacolula de Matamoros, traje, wall art on April 27, 2012| 3 Comments »

Every time I pass by the turnoff to Tlacolula de Matamoros, I break into song, “Be-bop-a-lula, she’s my baby.” And, seeing this guy on the front of a building on one of the town’s main streets only contributes to channeling Gene Vincent.

I was last there early this month for the first Festival de la Nieve, Mezcal y Vinagre. Ice cream, mezcal, and fruit and veggies in vinegar… what’s not to like?

And then there is the weekly Sunday tianguis (market), where women in colorfully embroidered cotton aprons over tightly pleated polyester brocade skirts (where did that style come from?) buy and sell everything under the sun.

As the article, The Pop-up Food Shops of Oaxaca confirms, I’m not the only one who is captivated by Tlacolula.

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And, then there were fireworks!

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, History, Holidays, tagged 480th anniversary, birthday, celebrations, fireworks, fuegos artificiales, Happy Birthday Oaxaca, history, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos on April 25, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Tonight, instead of candles…

Fuegos artificiales exploded from the Alameda de León…

As Oaxaca celebrated her 480th birthday!

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¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Oaxaca!

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, History, Holidays, tagged 480th anniversary, calendas, celebrations, Happy Birthday Oaxaca, history, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos on April 25, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Today is Oaxaca’s 480th birthday as a colonial city . Of course, among other events, a calenda (parade) marked the date.

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In 1532 Spanish settlers (their bloody way paved by Hernán Cortés and his conquistadores) successfully petitioned the Queen of Spain for a land grant of 1 square league. The colonists had already established their own town on the site of Huaxyacac, renamed it Antequera (after an old Roman city in Spain) and received a Royal Charter from King Charles I of Spain.

However, Cortés had successfully gotten the entire Valley of Oaxaca (hundreds of thousands of acres) declared as his own private marquisate and, his greed knowing no bounds, kept trying to evict the colonial townspeople. By obtaining the queen’s charter, this end-run around Cortés insured the rights of the townspeople to the land.

Thus, April 25th continues to be celebrated as Oaxaca’s birthday. ¡Feliz Cumpleaños!

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No bull

Posted in Animals, Creativity, Culture, History, Parks & Plazas, Places, tagged art, Benito Juárez, bullfighting, Corrida de Toros, Mexico, Oaxaca, Plaza de la Danza, public art on April 24, 2012| Leave a Comment »

…fighting in Oaxaca.

Corrida de Toros, as it is known in Mexico, was outlawed by, then governor of Oaxaca, Benito Juárez. The ban was instituted throughout Mexico in 1867 by Juárez during his presidency. Some say it was to “civilize” Mexico, but others contend it was for nationalistic reasons, as bullfighting had been a legacy of the Spanish conquest. I tend to think the latter tipped the scales.

However, Porfirio Díaz reinstated it during his presidency, but the ban remained in Oaxaca in honor of her favorite son. And thus, on the Plaza de la Danza, we have only a paper mache bull ready to charge at his shadow…

and serve as a canvas for imagery, ancient and contemporary.

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My cup runneth over…

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, tagged calenda, Children's Guelaguetza, Costa, costume, culture, Guelaguetza, Infantil Guelaguetza, Istmo, Mexico, Mixteca, Oaxaca, Papaloapan, parade, penachos, photographs, photos, traditional regional dances, traje, Tuxtepec, Valles Centrales de Oaxaca on April 21, 2012| 6 Comments »

Friday was a delightful day… a late morning and early afternoon spent in leisurely conversation with one of my closest friends over desayuno at Cocina Economica Isabel, a stop at the Merced mercado to pick up some pan dulce, and a stroll through the Zócalo, before returning home. I envisioned a late afternoon and evening of visiting with my neighbor before she is heads north for a USA visit, catching up on email, and watching a movie. Perfection, I thought! Who could ask for more?

“More” came via my email inbox; notice of the 10th Guelaguetza Infantil, with a calenda (parade) from Santo Domingo de Guzmán to the Zócalo beginning at 6 PM. This definitely called for a change of plans! And, sure enough, as I got closer to Santo Domingo, there they were; delegations of children representing the regions of Oaxaca.

Istmo de Tehuantepec couple (a young Frida Kahlo, perhaps?) posing for photos.

There were several bands playing and it got a little too loud for this girl from the Istmo.

However this girl, representing the Papaloapan, didn’t seem to mind and was ready to toss candy to the crowd. She wasn’t alone — once the calenda started, candy began flying fast and furious and the pockets of the kids watching on the sidelines began bulging!

Girls from the Costa region received last-minute instructions.

Costa boys were charged with holding up their school banner.

The girls representing the Papaloapan clutched plastic pineapples, ready for the always popular Flor de Piña dance from Tuxtepec.

A little cross cultural comparing of notes (actually, cell phone games) was happening between the Istmo and Papaloapan.

All the while, the dancers from the Mixteca danced their way down the Álcala.

And, the young Danza de la Pluma danzantes, representing the Valles Centrales, carefully balanced their penachos (headdresses).

Tonight at 5 pm, these 300 kids from 52 preschools, will perform traditional regional dances in the auditorium of the Universidad Regional del Sureste, Rosario campus in San Sebastián Tutla.

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Hip hop in Oaxaca?

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Music, People, Protests, tagged Cuando Una Mujer Avanza, El Silencio Mata, entertainment, hip hop, indigenous peoples, Mare, Mexico, music, Oaxaca, video, When a Woman Takes a Step Forward, women, women's rights on April 19, 2012| 1 Comment »

Hip hop is probably not the first thing that pops to mind when you think of Oaxaca. However, I can assure you, there is more to Oaxaca than colonial architecture, religious processions, colorful traje (costume), and traditional music. As repeated blockades and occupations attest, and the El Silencio Mata posters illustrate, there are voices struggling to be heard.

For one of those voices, check out this trailer from the documentary film, Cuando Una Mujer Avanza (When a Woman Takes a Step Forward), about “Mare” a young Zapotec hip hop artist from Oaxaca. As the promo states, her unique life experience is a rarely heard perspective on life and community liberation. As an up and coming MC in a state known for popular and indigenous rebellion, Mare’s life and experience has been channeled into very powerful and conscious rapping and singing.

Update: Check out the article, Mare Is a Rapper Hell-Bent on Equality for Women in Mexico.

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It’s not what you look at…

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Museums, tagged art, Cultural Centre of Oaxaca, culture, henry david thoreau, Mexico, museum, Oaxaca, photo, photographs, Santo Domingo de Guzmán, seeing on April 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” — Henry David Thoreau

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Beyond bunnies and thinking

Posted in Celebrations, Churches, Culture, Holidays, Music, Religion, tagged Carmen Alto, castillo, culture, Danza de la Pluma, Easter, fireworks, fuegos artificiales, Mexico, Oaxaca, Pascuas, photo, photographs, Semana Santa, toritos, travel, video on April 16, 2012| Leave a Comment »

It’s been a week since the end of Semana Santa and I’m still sorting through photos and videos and reflecting on impressions and feelings. However, I’m finding that, with too much thinking, the experience slips through the fingers and the magic vanishes.

Thus, I give you the night of Pascuas (Easter) at Carmen Alto…

And then, the hisses, bangs, and brilliant explosions of a castillo…

brought Semana Santa to a spectacular close.

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Mountain biking rides into Oaxaca

Posted in Nature & Science, Sports & Recreation, Travel & Tourism, tagged adventure, articles, Blazing Trails in Mexico, California, Marin County, Mexico, mountain bikers, Mountain biking, nature, Oaxaca, travel, Trevor Clark on April 15, 2012| 2 Comments »

I’m from the cradle of modern mountain biking; Marin County, California. In fact, it has become so popular in Marin over the past 30+ years, traffic jams have ensued at trail heads and battles between hikers, horseback riders, and mountain bikers over safety and environmental issues frequently make the headlines of local papers.

With this recent article in the Wall Street Journal, it looks like mountain biking has “officially” come to Oaxaca. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the wise Zapotec elders up in Oaxaca’s Sierra Norte will find a way to keep the peace. And, more than that, I’m hoping all you mountain bikers out there will be respectful of this beautiful land and her people.

From Friday, April 13, 2012 online Wall Street Journal…

Blazing Trails in Mexico

Mountain biking is rare in Oaxaca—but not for long

By TREVOR CLARK

Mountain biking on the Tequila Trail near Oaxaca, Mexico – Trevor Clark

IT WAS EARLY. Hours from sunrise kind of early. My wimpy headlamp struggled to break through the predawn drizzle, and I could barely see my front tire or the trail ahead. Roots, rocks and stumps all seemed to be in cahoots, working together to upend me.

WHEEL WORLD | Riding out of the village of Benito Juárez in Oaxaca – Trevor Clark

I tried to become one with the bike. I tried to feel out the trail with my other senses. I tried to anticipate obstacles, but I am no Zen master. My mountain biking skills are rough under the best conditions, and I was in the jungle in the dark.

My mate’s more powerful headlamp suddenly provided a snapshot of a sharp turn and a wooden footbridge ahead. Then, lights out. I made an educated guess, went straight and took a hit that emptied my lungs: “Huhhhhh!” Cold water rushed into my clothes and pack as I lay in the stream, bike still on my feet, straight up in the air.

For a few moments, I laughed hysterically at my predicament and the fact that I was OK after missing the bridge. Then I picked myself up and kept moving.

We made it to the peak of Piedra Larga, a 10,761-foot-high lookout, for breakfast, corn-based hot chocolate and sunrise. As the sun slowly emerged from a thick layer of fog, we found ourselves hovering above a golden sea of clouds. The scenery was worth every blind pedal stroke.

HIGH ROAD | Taking in the view from a rock spire in the Sierra Norte – Trevor Clark

Seven of us had come to the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, Mexico, a forested mountain range in the northern part of the state. Oaxaca is known as the country’s culinary and cultural center, and many visitors experience it through cooking classes and gallery walks in the capital city. We, instead, were mountain-biking part of an ancient Zapotec network of walking trails that have connected eight villages to each other and the rest of the world for eons.

Mountain biking is fairly new to Mexico…. [Read FULL ARTICLE]

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Geography lesson

Posted in Geography, Nature & Science, Science & Nature, tagged Cañada Costa Region Istmo de Tehuantepec Mixteca Region Papaloapan Region Sierra Norte de Oaxaca Sierra Sur de Oaxaca Oaxaca, earthquake, geography, Guelaguetza, map, Mexico, Oaxaca, temblor, terremoto, Valles Centrales de Oaxaca on April 13, 2012| 5 Comments »

This morning, I was awakened from a sound sleep by the insistent siren and recorded voice alerting the neighborhood of an impending earthquake. I bolted upright, moved to the side of the bed and slipped on my flip-flops — ready to head out the door if shaking commenced. As I’ve mentioned before, I think Mexico’s Earthquake Warning System is terrific and something the US should emulate.

However, this time, no rocking and rolling occurred, but I was left wide awake and wondering if and where an earthquake had occurred. So I pulled out my iPod Touch and opened my iEarthquake app and found that at 5:10 this morning, there was a magnitude 5.7 earthquake about 105 miles WSW from the city of Oaxaca in the mountains near the coast. The epicenter was 6.2 miles northwest of Pinotepa Nacional, in the Costa region of the state of Oaxaca.

So, I decided to use this event for a geography lesson. The state of Oaxaca has 8 regions (it used to be 7, but not too long ago the Sierra Region was split into two):

These regions are home to 14 distinct ethno linguistic groups and the regions vary dramatically in topography, vegetation, and climate. One can catch a glimpse of the unique costumes, dances, and dancers of each region during the Guelaguetza celebration in Oaxaca in July. The city of Oaxaca is located in the Valles Centrales (“Centro” on the map below).

Color coded map of the regions and districts of Oaxaca

Map from Wikipedia

For a painless way to learn more about the geography of Mexico, you might want to take a look at the Mexican States games.

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